


A Time to Work, a Time to Rest

by for_steggy



Category: Agent Carter (Marvel Short Film), Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Director Carter, F/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Steggy Week 2019, lightest T, steggyweek2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 08:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_steggy/pseuds/for_steggy
Summary: A tiny glimpse in the life of Director Carter, set 2 years after Endgame. Steggy. Fluffy.





	A Time to Work, a Time to Rest

**Author's Note:**

> Written a few weeks back, not for Steggy week 2019, but it fit perfectly for the day one theme, so here we are!  
> 

Director Carter sat in her office, suit crisp, hair perfectly curled at her shoulders, lipstick impeccable as usual. Despite her composed appearance, she was running on empty—frazzled—losing it—at the end of her rope. You name it.

Peggy knew that being co-founders of SHEILD with Howard meant some amount of babysitting, but today it was just one more weight on the scale, and it was tipping her over the edge. It really wasn't his fault, he was just _being_ _Howard_ , but being Howard when Peggy had to deal with a code red on her hands in Russia, a meltdown at a security base off the coast, a rogue agent, and Steve being away on a dangerous extraction for the past two weeks, was, well,far too much Howard.

She was giving him a sound tongue lashing when her assistant came in to set yet another stack of files on her desk. “Howard I told you tha—Howard. Howard. Howard. HOWARD!” Her assistant visibly jumped. “SHUT IT AND LISTEN,” Peggy nodded to set the papers down, “YOU WILL, A: STOP CREATING MESSES FOR ME TO CLEAN UP WITH YOUR BLOODY INVENTIONS.” She was again interrupted by Howard mouthing off something about her husband being one of his bloody inventions, at which point Peggy fairly growled. She continued. “B: YOU WILL SEND ME THE EQUIPMENT I NEED, AND C: YOU WILL GO TO BED, NOW.” _You drunken bastard_ , she added under her breath, and with that slammed the phone back down on the receiver.

She slumped in her chair and rubbed at her temples. But frustration was a luxury. She quickly gathered herself and straightened up, only to come face to face with the mountain of paperwork _._ That was the worst, in all honesty. No one talked about how many damn sheets of paper passed through a Director’s office on any given day—hundreds, nay, thousands. Being in charge was less about getting your hands dirty and more about dirtying your hands, Peggy soon learned. She missed the old days of sneaking around on missions and going undercover, punching people. But she did her best, and with Steve by her side she kept her conscience clean enough to sleep at night. However, she was only one person, and mucking some things up sometimes was inevitable.

She started looking over a file when her office door opened. She didn't bother looking up. Too busy.

“Director Carter.”

That voice made her look up. Steve stood at attention in his stealth uniform, clearly just arrived from the mission. He looked a bit travel worn, but, really, he could never look _bad._ She felt the tension in her shoulders ease just from being in the same room as him. But of course, this was the office, and Peggy made a point of keeping things strictly business. People had to respect her.

It wasn't exactly public knowledge that Captain America was back from the dead, only a few select knew, but Steve still handled an operation when needed; neither of them would have it any other way. Operating in the dark with the Howling Commandos as his team kept things covert, and if anyone noticed that Carter had a type they would never say so.

“Captain Grant,” she nodded. “Mission report.” She didn't really need it, the written form would be on her desk later, (or she would hear it at dinner, assuming she would be able to go home tonight), but Peggy wanted to keep her husband around for a few more minutes before one of them got whisked away again.

“Peggy.” He was staring at her, smiling, not playing along with the professionalism.

“ _Steve_ ,” she said lowly in warning.

“ _Peggy.”_ He wouldn't let up.

Since Steve had appeared back at her house two years ago, he hadn't wasted any time, and they had married right away. He kept that mentality throughout their relationship. He was confident and self assured now, a man who wasn’t ashamed of reaching for what he wanted. Peggy had to admit that she had once dreamed of having him back the old way, but both of them had become more disillusioned in their time apart, and this older, wiser Steve suited her just perfectly.

“May I remind you we’re in my office, which has glass paneling, hmm?” It had absolutely no affect on him. She relented with a huff and a gave way to a little smile as he bent down and gave her a peck. She put a hand on his chest and pushed him upright before he could do more. Looking in all directions she told him, “ _Later.”_

He just kept smiling, snuck another kiss on the cheek before walking towards the door. “I’m heading home now, anything you want me to pick up on the way?”

Oh how she loved the man. “No, nothing darling. Just rest.”

“Missed you.”

“Believe me, I missed you more,” she said with no small amount of exasperation.

He shook his head as if to say ‘not possible,’ and smiling, went out.

He was a dream. A frustrating dream, seeing as it wasn't the time for dreaming.

She dialed a phone number. “Yes, hello Mr. Jarvis. Would you be a dear and bringdinner to my husband?”

*

When Peggy got home the next morning she was utterly exhausted and flopped on the bed, immediately asleep. It was 9pm when she awoke and found Steve in the kitchen reheating leftovers from what Jarvis (the dear) had made the night before. He looked well rested and relaxed. Even in the initial first few weeks of being back, when he had an undeniably worn look, he always seemed relaxed. It somewhat amazed Peggy. When she asked him about it once, all he said was that he had finally come home. That made her smile.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her face in the expanse of his back. “I didn't mean to sleep through my day off, darling.” 

He smiled and turned in her arms, wrapping his own around her. He started to sway them. “You needed the rest.” Steve loved to dance them around the house while humming a tune in her ear. It was funny and sweet, but mostly it was a way of releasing stress.

They ended up laughing breathlessly in a heap on the couch when Steve went too fast and they tripped, falling onto the cushions.

“Clumsy,” Peggy smiled at him and ruffled his hair. He smiled back goofily, the combination of which made him look much younger, a bit more of how she once remembered him.

At the office they might have been viewed as intimidating and mature beyond their years, but like this they were just another young married couple.

Steve hauled her into his lap and kissed her sweetly as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a familiar embrace.

…And then the phone rang.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I've suddenly realized that the beginning of this story bears a striking resemblance to another work of mine...whoops.


End file.
